What do you think?
Rate this book
Inspector Drewes #1
Shattered Clues
Autumn 1868, England.
Inspector Drewes is called to the scene of an unidentifiable body. The corpse of a 35-year-old man has been found in Henshawe Street.
The motive? Unknown.
Returning from the scene of the murder, Drewes anticipates a quiet evening in the company of his friend the police surgeon and his brother.
He finds one of them brutally slain.
As family, friendship and death become intertwined, Drewes finds himself caught up in deadly plot. Amid personal betrayal and fractured relationships he can trust no one. And when the diligent Inspector finds the shocking truth it is more deadly than he could ever have imagined.
'Shattered Clues' is a brilliant re-imagining of the classic Victorian detective story that will captivate readers from the first page to the last.
Inspector Drewes is called to the scene of an unidentifiable body. The corpse of a 35-year-old man has been found in Henshawe Street.
The motive? Unknown.
Returning from the scene of the murder, Drewes anticipates a quiet evening in the company of his friend the police surgeon and his brother.
He finds one of them brutally slain.
As family, friendship and death become intertwined, Drewes finds himself caught up in deadly plot. Amid personal betrayal and fractured relationships he can trust no one. And when the diligent Inspector finds the shocking truth it is more deadly than he could ever have imagined.
'Shattered Clues' is a brilliant re-imagining of the classic Victorian detective story that will captivate readers from the first page to the last.
187 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 29, 2013
51 people are currently reading
97 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 17, 2013
Shattered Clues is an engrossing and highly entertaining historical detective story. Set in the later half of the nineteenth century when the English police forces were still rather new but had gained acceptance, the crimes present a complex puzzle that is solved by a combination of early police procedures and the analytical skills of the protagonist Inspector. I hope this will not be the last we hear from this author.
April 13, 2020
I am Ambivalent about this... a bit specious plus I just cannot put my finger into it... the explanation as to how the murderer plotted and made his moves were plausible or even the apparently too trusting Stanston for that matter acquiescing to a scheme... too pat or forced. Somehow, it just does not gel for me... there is no smooth flow into it. I think it also lies on the personality and character of the murderer and he did not seem to have a magnetic or charismatic attribute that would allow for people to be compelled to do as he says or believe in whatever yarn he wants to spin. I must mention here, though, that the author managed to give a hint as early as in Chapter 1 as to who the most probable murderer would be.
October 5, 2018
Writing style too irritating
Disappointed in too many facts, too many characters and importantly for me the paragraphs are much too long. The conversations rang true but the narrative too verbose.
Disappointed in too many facts, too many characters and importantly for me the paragraphs are much too long. The conversations rang true but the narrative too verbose.
August 17, 2022
Apparently, no one bothered to edit, or even proofread, this book. Outright mistakes, such as “hear” when it should have been “here” are one thing. But the reader is also treated to such beauties as:
“Whilst we are waiting for Withers, perhaps you can tell us a little something about myself.”
“…stamped in the bottle of the label.”
“…since his demeanor when and myself arrived…”
“…though I had warned me I would be heading over.”
Charming, no? But aside from that (and this is just a small sampling), the characters are one dimensional and the plot is excessively convoluted (yet the murderer is obvious early on). I paid 99 cents for a 3 in 1 volume that included this and the other two books in the series. I was robbed.
“Whilst we are waiting for Withers, perhaps you can tell us a little something about myself.”
“…stamped in the bottle of the label.”
“…since his demeanor when and myself arrived…”
“…though I had warned me I would be heading over.”
Charming, no? But aside from that (and this is just a small sampling), the characters are one dimensional and the plot is excessively convoluted (yet the murderer is obvious early on). I paid 99 cents for a 3 in 1 volume that included this and the other two books in the series. I was robbed.
August 25, 2019
1868. Inspector Drewes is called out to an unidentified dead man. A possible murder. Later that day he accompanys Nunnington to his home to visit with him and to meet his brother, Edward Smythe. Only for them both arrive to find the brother dead. The Inspector and his team investigate.
An interesting mystery, a good solid start to the series.
An interesting mystery, a good solid start to the series.
April 2, 2024
Too confusing for me. Started 2 years ago. Didn't like it. Found it again and struggled through it.
June 1, 2013
I received a free download of "Shattered Clues" by Mel Hodgkinson, through the Mystery and Crime Thrillers Group of Goodreads, in exchange for a honest review. This is a classic Victorian detective story at its best! A real whodunit, and I found myself totally engrossed in the mystery.
Inspector Drewes and Constable Withers have been called to the scene of three murders. Inspector Drewes relies heavily on Withers who has a very smart and keen ability to solve many cases.
The first body was discovered in Henshawe Street, in the back alley. The corpse had been that of a middle aged man, about 35, thin, slumped outside the entrance of a gambling place. Dr. Nunnington, the police surgeon was called to the scene, not to determine motive but to give cause of death. Examination of the body revealed massive face and head wounds.
The second victim was that of a elderly woman, in her 60's,found at home with weak stab wounds on her hands , a knife left behind, and injury to the base of the skull. It would seem that this was a case of self-murder, made to look like murder.
The third death was identified as Dr Nunnington's brother, Edward, found brutally murdered in Nunnington's home. He had come to visit his brother.
Inspector Drewes was methodical in his approach, inspecting the crime scenes, processing the facts, and analyzing the clues. The killer had gone to great depths to hide the truth, with intricate planning and execution...but some things just don't add up. The clues were there to unravel. A definite 5 Star rating. Don't miss out on this one!
Inspector Drewes and Constable Withers have been called to the scene of three murders. Inspector Drewes relies heavily on Withers who has a very smart and keen ability to solve many cases.
The first body was discovered in Henshawe Street, in the back alley. The corpse had been that of a middle aged man, about 35, thin, slumped outside the entrance of a gambling place. Dr. Nunnington, the police surgeon was called to the scene, not to determine motive but to give cause of death. Examination of the body revealed massive face and head wounds.
The second victim was that of a elderly woman, in her 60's,found at home with weak stab wounds on her hands , a knife left behind, and injury to the base of the skull. It would seem that this was a case of self-murder, made to look like murder.
The third death was identified as Dr Nunnington's brother, Edward, found brutally murdered in Nunnington's home. He had come to visit his brother.
Inspector Drewes was methodical in his approach, inspecting the crime scenes, processing the facts, and analyzing the clues. The killer had gone to great depths to hide the truth, with intricate planning and execution...but some things just don't add up. The clues were there to unravel. A definite 5 Star rating. Don't miss out on this one!
June 4, 2013
Sometimes I was not sure if this is really a Victorian mystery novel because the year is mentioned in the blurb only.
But there are definitely enough hints like
- police force in progress
- beards, beards, beards
- trains but no cars
- no more public hanging (On the26th of May 1868, Michael Barrett, a Fenian, (what would now be called an I.R.A. terrorist) became the last man to be publicly hanged in England, Source: The history of judicial hanging in Britain 1735 - 1964
Despite that Mel Hodgkinson delivered an excellent classic historian detective novel which is complex, compelling and really entertaining.
But there are definitely enough hints like
- police force in progress
- beards, beards, beards
- trains but no cars
- no more public hanging (On the26th of May 1868, Michael Barrett, a Fenian, (what would now be called an I.R.A. terrorist) became the last man to be publicly hanged in England, Source: The history of judicial hanging in Britain 1735 - 1964
Despite that Mel Hodgkinson delivered an excellent classic historian detective novel which is complex, compelling and really entertaining.
May 31, 2013
I haven't read this genre of book for a while, and I enjoyed this. It is a quick read and keeps you guessing. I would read another of this author's books in future. I find the formality of this era a bit stilting for reading and that it often makes it trickier to engage with characters. It certainly felt authentic.
April 10, 2013
Tightly written murder mystery, not my usual genre but engrossing. I had to keep reading to discover whodunnit, and even more importantly; how. Twisty, turny and a little Sherlockian. For fans of the locked room mystery, well worth a read.
June 8, 2013
Thoroughly enjoyable. The whole book is written from first person experience of the main character of the Inspector of Police. Not a style of writing that I am used to, but have to say it drew you into the story even more so. Will definitely look out for more by this author.
April 19, 2013
Thoroughly enjoying reading this at the moment. The author has well-researched Victorian times, and I feel really drawn in to what happens in the story, to the extent that I'm totally engrossed.
November 24, 2016
Could not finish. Sorry I bought all three books in this series. First book badly needed proof reading. Too many mistakes
April 20, 2020
Excellent puzzle with twists in this historical mystery. Characters don't seem to come alive but I'm in for another story in the series.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews